We’ve built our business by helping customers succeed in theirs

Turn up the steam, this re-engineered component will endure

INDUSTRY: Commercial and residential water heaters

ISSUE: Steam relief valve seals failing at high heat

APPROACH: We started our problem-solving process with our engineering team. After extensive research, they determined the relief valve seals were failing because the part tolerances were inconsistent, and the material didn’t function well in steam. Our next step was to create and test a custom silicone part that would withstand tensile, elongation, and volume of density changes without degradation of the rubber seal.

FEATURES:

• Thickness: < 100”
• Tightest tolerances: ±.003″
• Shrinkage allowance: < 5°
• Temperature range: -50∞F to 450∞F w/steam
• 100% Inspection
• ISO Testing
• CSA Board & NSF Approval

SOLUTION: We deliver millions of these custom steam relief valves to our customer every year.

Using a Kanban system to create a “Can Do!” solution

INDUSTRY: Lighting and signal manufacturing

ISSUE: Excessive costs incurred by stocking 700 parts supplied by 300 companies in 7 locations

APPROACH: We analyzed the components used by our customer, which included die cut or molded grommets, seals, bumpers, extrusions, and bellows, made of materials like foam, sponge, elastomer’s metallics, plastic, and PSA-backed rubber. Within six months, we implemented a Kanban system of vendor managed inventory with automated releases based on our customer’s machine-readable Information.

FEATURES:

• USA and 6 international delivery locations
• 8 types of components
• 13 materials
• 4 coatings
• Standards met: CARB, CSA, EPA, FDA, ISO, NSF, QS, TS, UL

SOLUTION: Consolidation of materials, processes, and supplies and automation of our customer’s purchasing process reduced vendor-associated shipping and freight expenses, inventory levels, and management costs, lowering costs 45% below the previous year.

Hands off, there’s a better way to do it

INDUSTRY: Appliance manufacturer

ISSUE: Outdated hand assembly systems

APPROACH: Our customer knew their hand assembly method was inefficient and asked us to update their manufacturing process. Our engineering team observed how they inserted parts into their products and created a custom automated assembly system to do it much faster. We also developed a high-precision material for the parts, further streamlining the manufacturing process.

FEATURES:

• Custom die-cut components made of nitrile and silicone
• Automated manufacturing system engineered and implemented in 6 months

SOLUTION:The combination of the automated system and the parts made from high-precision materials increased our customer’s production level by 75%.

Sealing the deal with precision and parallelism

INDUSTRY: Injection molding

ISSUE: Inability to achieve desired sealing capabilities

APPROACH: Our customer was manufacturing parts using an older molding process, and the tooling was causing sealing problems due to a lack of parallelism. Rather than make a significant capital investment to update their equipment, they asked for our advice. Our engineering team helped develop a precision gasket manufactured from a custom compound material that achieved the dimensional tolerances to compensate for the injection mold tool while providing an excellent sealing surface.

FEATURES:

• Lathe-turned
• Material thickness: .125”
• Tightest tolerances: ±.010
• Low-swell Nitrile/BUNA/NBR, 60 Durometer
• Meets RMA Class 2 standards
• 100% inspection

SOLUTION:The new precision gasket improved our customer’s manufacturing process, saved them the cost of replacing leaking seals, and enhanced the quality of the product they provided their customers—the end users.

Focused on keeping the fluid flowing

INDUSTRY: Automotive

ISSUE: Substandard rubber tubing resulting in field breakdowns

APPROACH: A manufacturer asked us to determine why the rubber tubing they were using in their automotive battery products could not withstand the pressure needed to transfer fluid from one container to another. Our engineers analyzed the requirements for the tubing and how the end user would interface with the assembly. They collected data about operating temperatures, pressures, and fluids to be used and reviewed the manufacturing and assembly processes, including mating part tolerances and connection forces. This research resulted in our development of custom extruded rubber tubing made from a high-strength EPDM polymer with exceptional tensile strength and elasticity.

SOLUTION: Our customer replaced their inferior rubber tubing with our product—resolving field issues while dramatically increasing the fluid pressure that the process could withstand. This reduced both assembly time and operator fatigue, improving their overall manufacturing process.